Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 66 / Friday, April 6, 2007 / Notices 17117 

measures, such as forebay lighting. 

However, this may be off-set by lowwater years and a greater percentage of 

fish exposed to the turbines. Therefore, 

based on estimates of juvenile coho 

salmon population sizes and the effects 

described above, the annual injury and 

mortality of salmonid juveniles each 

year during the interim period is 

estimated to be between 1,400 and 2,500 

fish. Total mortality of adult coho 

salmon is estimated to be between 200 

and 1,200 fish annually. On an annual 

basis for the four years of potential 

operation (three years approved and one 

potential extension), fish salvage 

operations in the fall and spring will 

result in additional levels of harm for 

juvenile salmon and rarely for adults. In 

the fall there is potential for one adult 

coho salmon to be encountered during 

the shutdown operations of SRD. Both 

spring and fall situations will result in 

approximately 130 juvenile SONC coho 

salmon captured and released during 

the salvage operations. It is expected 

that up to 10 of these may die. 

Dated: March 30, 2007. 

Angela Somma, 

Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office 

of Protected Resources, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–6412 Filed 4–5–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[I.D. 031507B] 

Draft Programmatic Environmental 

Impact Statement; Seismic Surveys in 

the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, Alaska 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability of a Draft 

Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement; notice of public hearings. 

SUMMARY: NMFS and the Minerals 

Management Service (MMS) announce 

the availability of a Draft Programmatic 

Environmental Impact Statement (Draft 

PEIS) for Seismic Surveys in the 

Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, Alaska and 

the times, dates, and locations for public 

hearings in order to receive comments 

from the public on the Draft PEIS. 

DATES: Public hearings on the Draft PEIS 

are scheduled as follows: 

1. April 10, 2007, 6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m., 

Anchorage, AK. 

2. April 17, 2007, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. 

Nuiqsuk, AK 

3. April 18, 2007, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. 

Barrow, AK 

4. April 23, 2007, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. 

Point Hope, AK 

5. April 24, 2007, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. 

Point Lay, AK 

6. April 25, 2007, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. 

Wainwright, AK 

Written comments will be accepted at 

these hearings as well as during the 

comment period. Written comments 

must be postmarked no later than May 

14, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the 

Draft PEIS should be addressed to Mr. 

P. Michael Payne, Chief of the Permits, 

Conservation and Education Division, 

Office of Protected Resources, National 

Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD 

20910–3225. The mailbox address for 

providing e-mail comments is 

PR1.ALASKAEIS@noaa.gov. Comments 

sent via e-mail, including all 

attachments, must not exceed a 10–

megabyte file size. 

A copy of the Draft PEIS may be 

obtained by writing to this address or by 

telephoning the contact listed here and 

is also available at: http:// 

www.mms.gov/alaska/. 

The public hearings will be held at 

the following locations: 

1. 3801 Centerpoint Drive, Anchorage, 

AK 

2. City Hall, Nuiqsut, AK 

3. Inupiat Heritage Center, Barrow, 

AK 

4. Qalgi Center (City Hall), Point 

Hope, AK 

5. High School Gymnasium, Point 

Lay, AK 

6. Robert James Community Center, 

Wainwright, AK 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kenneth R. Hollingshead, (301) 713–

2289, ext 128. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Summary 

On March 30, 2007, notice was 

published in the Federal Register of the 

availability of the subject Draft PEIS for 

review and comments. NMFS and MMS 

will hold public hearings under the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) to inform interested parties of 

the alternatives analyzed by NMFS and 

MMS and to accept comments on all 

aspects of the Draft PEIS. 

Background 

The NMFS and MMS have jointly 

prepared the subject Draft PEIS in order 

to fully describe and analyze the 

potential significant impacts on marine 

mammals, other Arctic marine life, and 

native subsistence lifestyles by 

reasonably foreseeable proposed 

offshore oil and gas seismic surveys off 

Alaska. This document also addresses a 

number of mitigation measures that 

have been identified as alternatives for 

potentially reducing impacts on 

identified affected environments, 

particularly marine mammals and the 

endangered bowhead whale. This PEIS 

will be used for issuing: (1) permits for 

oil and gas exploration in the Arctic 

Ocean by MMS, and (2) Incidental 

Harassment Authorizations (IHAs) to 

the seismic industry by NMFS to take 

marine mammals incidental to oil and 

gas seismic surveys in the Arctic Ocean. 

As sounds generated by seismic survey 

operations and related activities have 

the potential to adversely impact marine 

mammals and other marine resources, 

IHAs would be warranted, under the 

Marine Mammal Protection Act, in 

order to legally harass marine mammals 

(particularly bowhead whales), 

incidental to conducting seismic 

surveys. 

Summary of Draft PEIS 

Activity 

The Draft PEIS describes and analyzes 

the potential significant environmental 

impacts related to reasonably 

foreseeable proposed geophysical 

exploration using seismic surveys in 

waters of the Arctic Alaska Outer 

Continental Shelf. Specifically, the Draft 

PEIS assesses the environmental 

impacts of up to 6 consecutive surveys 

each in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas 

using deep-penetration 2D and 3D 

streamer and ocean bottom cable 

surveys, and high-resolution surveys 

and the issuance of IHAs to take marine 

mammals by these activities. As the 

sound generated by a seismic-survey 

operation and related activities has the 

potential to adversely impact marine 

mammals and other marine resources, 

IHAs would be warranted in order to 

incidentally harass marine mammals 

(particularly bowhead whales) while 

conducting seismic surveys. 

Impacts 

The best available scientific 

information indicates that marine 

seismic surveys may adversely impact 

archaeological sites, marine 

invertebrates, coastal and marine birds, 

essential fish habitat, marine fish, 

commercial fisheries, marine mammals, 

the sociocultural environment, and 

subsistence-harvest activities. Therefore, 

the analysis contained in the Draft PEIS 

focused on these resource categories. Of 

critical importance to NMFS for the 

proposed action of issuing IHAs are the 

impacts on marine mammals 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES
17118 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 66 / Friday, April 6, 2007 / Notices 

(particularly bowhead whales) and 

subsistence harvests from acoustic 

sounds. However, we expect these 

impacts can be mitigated through 

incorporation of specified mitigation 

measures. 

Alternatives/Mitigations 

NMFS/MMS have identified 9 

alternatives, including the no action 

alternative. Analyzed alternatives range 

from issuance of MMS permits with and 

without mitigation measures. 

Specifically, the alternatives include 

different combinations of safety and 

exclusion zones for preventing injury 

(180/190 dB), limiting behavioral 

harassment (160 dB) and limiting 

impacts on feeding and migrating 

bowhead cow calf pairs (160 dB/120 dB, 

respectively). An identified alternative 

to protecting feeding and migration 

areas through specific temporal/spatial/ 

operational restrictions to further reduce 

impacts to feeding/socializing/ 

migrating aggregations of bowhead and 

gray whales and bowhead cow/calf pairs 

has also been analyzed. At this time, 

MMS and NMFS have not identified a 

preferred alternative. 

Special Accommodations 

These meetings are accessible to 

people with disabilities. Requests for 

sign language interpretation or other 

auxiliary aids should be directed to the 

person listed above (see FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT), at least five 

business days before the scheduled 

meeting date. 

Dated: March 27, 2007. 

P. Michael Payne, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Protected 

Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–6414 Filed 4–5–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[I.D. 030607A] 

Taking of Marine Mammals Incidental 

to Specified Activities; Open Water 

Seismic Operations in Cook Inlet, 

Alaska 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of issuance of two 

incidental harassment authorizations. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with provisions 

of the Marine Mammal Protection Act 

(MMPA) as amended, notification is 

hereby given that Incidental Harassment 

Authorizations (IHAs) to take marine 

mammals, by harassment, incidental to 

conducting seismic operations in the 

northwest portion of Cook Inlet, Alaska, 

have been issued to ConocoPhillips 

Alaska, Inc. (CPAI) and Union Oil 

Company of California (UOCC) for a 

period between mid-March and midJune, 2007. 

DATES: The authorization for CPAI is 

effective from March 30 until May 31, 

2007; and the authorization for UOCC is 

effective from May 1 until June 15, 

2007. 

ADDRESSES: A copy of the application, 

IHA, Environmental Assessment (EA), 

and/or a list of references used in this 

document may be obtained by writing to 

P. Michael Payne, Chief, Permits, 

Conservation and Education Division, 

Office of Protected Resources, National 

Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD 

20910–3225, or by telephoning one of 

the contacts listed here (see FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Shane Guan, Office of Protected 

Resources, NMFS, (301) 713–2289, ext 

137, or Brad Smith, Alaska Region, 

NMFS, (907) 271–3023. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the 

MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) direct 

the Secretary of Commerce to allow, 

upon request, the incidental, but not 

intentional, taking of small numbers of 

marine mammals by U.S. citizens who 

engage in a specified activity (other than 

commercial fishing) within a specified 

geographical region if certain findings 

are made and either regulations are 

issued or, if the taking is limited to 

harassment, notice of a proposed 

authorization is provided to the public 

for review. 

An authorization shall be granted if 

NMFS finds that the taking will have a 

negligible impact on the species or 

stock(s) and will not have an 

unmitigable adverse impact on the 

availability of the species or stock(s) for 

subsistence uses and that the 

permissible methods of taking and 

requirements pertaining to the 

mitigation, monitoring and reporting of 

such taking are set forth. NMFS has 

defined ‘‘negligible impact’’ in 50 CFR 

216.103 as ’’...an impact resulting from 

the specified activity that cannot be 

reasonably expected to, and is not 

reasonably likely to, adversely affect the 

species or stock through effects on 

annual rates of recruitment or survival. 

Section 101(a)(5)(D) of the MMPA 

established an expedited process by 

which citizens of the United States can 

apply for an authorization to 

incidentally take small numbers of 

marine mammals by harassment. Except 

with respect to certain activities not 

pertinent here, the MMPA defines 

‘‘harassment’’ as: any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance 

which (i) has the potential to injure a marine 

mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild 

[Level A harassment]; or (ii) has the potential 

to disturb a marine mammal or marine 

mammal stock in the wild by causing 

disruption of behavioral patterns, including, 

but not limited to, migration, breathing, 

nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering 

[Level B harassment]. 

Section 101(a)(5)(D) establishes a 45–

day time limit for NMFS review of an 

application followed by a 30–day public 

notice and comment period on any 

proposed authorizations for the 

incidental harassment of small numbers 

of marine mammals. Within 45 days of 

the close of the comment period, NMFS 

must either issue or deny issuance of 

the authorization. 

Summary of Request 

On October 6 and on October 12, 

2006, NMFS received applications from 

CPAI and UOCC, respectively, 

requesting Incidental Harassment 

Authorizations (IHAs) for the possible 

harassment of small numbers of the 

Cook Inlet beluga whale 

(Delphinapterus leucas), Steller lions 

(Eumetopias jubatus), Pacific harbor 

seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi), harbor 

porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), and 

killer whales (Orcinus orca) incidental 

to conducting open water seismic 

operations in portions of Cook Inlet, 

Alaska. A detailed description of these 

activities was published in the Federal 

Register on January 5, 2007 (72 FR 536). 

No change has been made to these 

proposed activities. 

Both proposed operations use an 

ocean-bottom cable (OBC) system to 

conduct seismic surveys. OBC seismic 

surveys are used in waters that are too 

shallow for the data to be acquired using 

a marine-streamer vessel and/or too 

deep to have static ice in the winter. 

The proposed operations would be 

active 24 hours per day, but the airguns 

would only be active for 1 – 2 hours 

during each of the 3 – 4 daily slack tide 

periods. The source for the proposed 

OBC seismic surveys would be a 900–

in3 BOLT airgun array situated on the 

source vessel, the Peregrine Falcon. The 

array would be made up of 2 sub-arrays, 

each with 2 3–airgun clusters separated 

by 1.5 m (4.9 ft) off the stern of the 

vessel. One cluster will consist of 3 

225–in3 airguns and the second cluster 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES